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All of the workers at the plant were accounted for early on Tuesday after officials initially could not account for more than a dozen employees.

John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said there were no fatalities despite massive blasts that ripped through the Blue Rhino propane plant late on Monday night.

“At this point we have no fatalities being reported,” he said. “Management is comfortable saying all of those they knew were there tonight have been accounted for.”

One person injured in the explosion was listed in critical condition at University of Florida Health Shands Hospital. Two others were listed in critical condition at Orlando Regional Medical Centre and a spokeswoman there said a third patient was en route, also listed as critical.

Herrell said a crew of 24 to 26 people was working at the plant on an overnight shift when the explosions occurred around 11pm.

Video footage on WESH-TV in Orlando showed fires burning through trucks used to transport propane tanks, which were parked at the plant. The fire was sending plumes of smoke into the air hours after the blast. Emergency crews could also be seen massing nearby.

Herrell said an evacuation zone was initially a 1.6-kilometre radius but had been reduced to an 800-metre radius. No injuries have been reported from residents in the neighbourhood and residents were later allowed to return to their homes.

Marni Whitehead, 33, who lives less than a mile from the plant, said she was in bed ready to go to sleep when she heard a loud boom.

“It was like a car had run into my house, is what I thought had happened,” she said.

She ran outside and saw other neighbours outside and then they saw the explosions.

“We knew right away it was the plant, the propane plant,” Whitehead said. “After that, it was just sort of panic.”

Whitehead likened the explosions to Fourth of July fireworks. “And it was just boom after boom after boom,” she said.

Herrell said officials believe the fire was contained and wouldn’t spread to another part of the plant but they could not guarantee that.

Herrell said the plant usually has 53,000 9-kilogram propane tanks.

According to the Leesburg Daily Commercial, the plant was built in 2004 and employs fewer than 50 people.